Former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian helped lead the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a season-defining home victory over No. 18 Illinois on Thursday.
The Cornhuskers entered the matchup on a six-game losing streak, the latest result a 28-point defeat at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers. The team ended that losing skid emphatically with an 80-74 overtime triumph over the Fighting Illini. The result is just Nebraska’s third Quad 1 win of the season and its first since a Jan. 4 home victory over UCLA.
Related: Wisconsin coach Greg Gard discusses how Badgers can avoid recent February struggles
Essegian finished the game second on the team with 14 points, plus tallied four rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals. He played a total of 28 minutes off the bench, his highest minute total since a Dec. 22 win over Murray State (32).
Guard Brice Williams led the way for the Cornhuskers with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 10-of-26 shooting and seven-of-10 from the free-throw line. Other than Essegian with 14 points, Juwan Gary was the only other Nebraska player in double-figures, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Essegian’s two three-point makes were critical to Nebraska’s upset win. They each came in the first five minutes of the game, setting a tone that the team would carry through the rest of the contest. The former Badger guard made several key plays in the second half, including a steal and assist to extend the team’s lead to 10 at the 12-minute mark, plus two key baskets at 9:56 and 9:16 to keep Nebraska’s lead at nine.
Essegian was then quiet in overtime as Williams scored eight of his 27 points to seal the victory. Still, he played a significant role in the Cornhuskers’ much-needed triumph.
The former Badger now averages 23 minutes per game, 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and one assist on 41.8% shooting and 40.5% from three. Those numbers are nearly identical to his production from his freshman season at Wisconsin (27.4 minutes, 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists on 40.4% shooting and 35.9% from three).
Essegian scored just eight points on three-of-10 shooting and two-of-seven from three in Nebraska’s recent loss to Wisconsin. Thursday’s game against Illinois represented a strong bounce-back performance for the former Badger.
Nebraska (13-8, 3-7 Big Ten) is up to No. 57 in the NCAA NET Rankings following the win over Illinois. The team still needs a significant push to contend for an NCAA Tournament bid. Meanwhile, Illinois (14-7, 6-5 Big Ten) continues to fall from the top of the conference. It has now lost three of its last four and four of its last six.
Wisconsin hosts Illinois on Feb. 18 in one of the most important games remaining on its schedule. The Fighting Illini’s current form is notable as that matchup nears.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian Nebraska Illinois game recap stats
